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I had in mind today to write about colonial South Carolina agriculture, and indeed, that is what much of today’s column will be about. However, much to my delight and surprise, I came upon one of the most remarkable women in South Carolina history that I have ever encountered, and she will be the focus of most of today’s column.

Because this lady is new to me, I don’t know if that is because my understanding of early South Carolina history is lacking, or if for some unfortunate reason this remarkable lady is not as well-known as she should be.

I am speaking of Elizabeth (Eliza) Lucas Pinckney (1722-1793). At the age of 16, she was left with the responsibility of managing her father’s three plantations. The job she did at that tender age is incredible.

Lt. Col. George Lucas – Eliza’s father – raised his family on his plantation in Antigua. Elizabeth was educated in England, and took an early interest in botany. When Lt. Col Lucas inherited his father’s three plantations in the colony of South Carolina, he moved his family there.

Shortly thereafter, he was recalled to Antigua to serve as the Lieutenant Governor for that island colony. Shortly after that, Eliza’s mother died, and Eliza was left with the responsibility of running the plantations and raising her younger siblings.

Eliza undertook that responsibility with a passion, and left a record of her endeavors in a letter book in which she copied every letter she wrote during her entire lifetime.

As mentioned before, Eliza had an interest in botany. Her father sent her seeds which he collected, and she also received seeds and plants from other sources. In 1742, when she was twenty, she began growing indigo. Two years after that she produced a successful crop and gave all the seeds from those plants to the neighboring plantations, thus initiating a forty year period of indigo production in South Carolina. Indigo became 1/3 of South Carolina exports during that time period.

Apparently, indigo is a tricky plant to grow and process. Her father hired an expert from Montserrat to help her with indigo dye production, but this man was reluctant to give away secrets that he felt would ruin the economy of his home country. Eliza sent this man on his way, and hired another man to was more forthcoming with knowledge and techniques.

The Revolutionary War ended indigo production in South Carolina. The primary reason that indigo was so profitable was that England imposed tariffs on indigo imported from other countries around the world. Once those tariffs were eliminated, South Carolina could not compete with higher quality indigo from the French West Indies, Guatemala and India.

When Eliza was twenty, she married a widowed neighboring plantation owner named Charles Pinckney. She bore three sons and a daughter before Charles Pinckney died in 1758. One of her sons died in early childhood. Her other two sons became very prominent in South Carolina history.

Eliza Pinckney was also involved in the early South Carolina silk trade. In 1732 George Oglethorpe introduced 500 white mulberry trees into the newly founded colony of Georgia, and white mulberries soon began to be planted throughout all the colonies in America to provide food for silkworms.

According to “Textile Industry History” by Gary N. Mock, “in 1755 a Mrs. Pinckney carried with her to England, enough silk of her own raising to weave three dresses, one of which was presented to the Princess Dowager of Wales”.

Alas, silk production in America proved to be a bust. I have been unable to ascertain exactly why. Probably, like most agricultural enterprises that failed, it proved too labor intensive.

“Labor intensive”. Please note this term. It is a euphemism. It is a euphemism for slavery.

Rice production began in South Carolina in 1680. This is a commodity that was extremely labor intensive. Indeed, one of Eliza Pinckney’s plantations was a rice plantation. The tidal waters of the South Carolina coast proved ideal for cultivating rice. With the end of the War Between the States and the elimination of slavery, rice production proved too “labor intensive” to continue.

Of course, early South Carolina agriculture also depended on cotton. Cotton, however, did not reach its pinnacle of production until after the invention of the cotton gin in 1820. From then on we all know how “labor intensive” the production of cotton proved to be. Growing cotton by mechanical means allows us to grow it today.

Eliza Pinckney was a pioneer in South Carolina agriculture. She was the first woman elected to the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame. Today, she deserves utmost honor and recognition for the service she provided to her state almost 200 years ago.